March 12, 2002	Tuesday	Zilhaj 27, 1422

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PESHAWAR, March 11: NWFP Governor Lt-Gen (retd) Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has said the government has come to realize that Gadoon industrial estate can be salvaged only if we utilize the abundant hydel power potential of the province.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop on human resource development arranged by Skill Development of Pakistan, NWFP on Monday, he said: “We have taken the responsibility to materialize the Malakand-3 Hydel Power Project and Pehur Hydel Power Project and we would welcome any viable proposal from the private sector, especially the investors of Gadoon Industrial Estate, in this connection.”

Talking about the existing stagnation in the industrial sector, he said the unrealistic approach adopted in the past to attract the investors was the root cause of the problem.

Appreciating the holding of workshop, the Governor said: “It is, in fact, in line with the policies of the government which are aimed at promoting employment-oriented education in the province.”

He said the curriculum of different technical disciplines was being reviewed to organize them according to the need of the hour. The re-organization process of the departments concerned had already been completed.

The skill development process of SDC, the Governor said, will not only create a link between the industry and training providers but also boost confidence of the trainees and the employers. In the wake of globalization and technological advancement, the development of human resources had become increasingly crucial, he said.

The individuals and entrepreneurs have to depend on the capacity of their human resources in order to be productive and competitive.

Highlighting the importance of education in this connection, he said: “We regard education sector as our topmost priority, and each and every department has been told to directly or indirectly strengthen the educational network in this province.

At the same time, he added, “we are also not oblivious to our responsibilities towards higher education as we have brought a revolution in the university level education.”

Earlier, while welcoming the guests, the chairman of SDC Haji Mohammad Javed said, in all, 1,938 candidates had been trained in IT and 530 in other fields by his organization since its creation in 1998.

Most of the trainees, he said, had started their own training programmes which were further strengthening the object of their organization.

Mr Farhat Hussain, Federal Secretary for Labour, Manpower and overseas Pakistanis, appreciated the teamwork of SDC in its efforts at the promotion of expertise.